Why would they? I use the Gmail app on my android phone because webmail is a pain in the ass on mobile, but I haven't used an actual mail app for personal mail in forever - not counting work, and I can't see any businesses turning away from Lotus or Outlook

Since all previous versions run on real windows 8 anyway, the only thing this effects is ARM stuff, which in my experience usually ports ok (usable but somewhat unstable/and or certain extended features don't work) from the droid/chrome based version anyway.

It also goes a decent way to making MS look bad when they don't have the program base to compete in the tablet market.

Windows 8 is shiat, why would Google want to move forward with enticing people towards a terrible operating system? Why would google pay MS for "Windows 8 certified" stickers on crap. MS can make an OS compatible with existing 64 bit software for the old platform... non-retro-compliant OS issues should be pinned on the people making the crappy OS.

moel:Also subby, you might want to look at how the supply chain is doing at the moment..

The bottom has fallen out of the market...no one wants windows 8, no one wants laptops/desktops with windows 8.

So whilst it will be the majority of pc's, that number is going to be a damn sight smaller than the last decade..

Pretty much this. I understand most pc buyers aren't savvy, and figure- on their own- that whatever the latest version of Windows is, thats what they want. But don't forget, most pc buyers also ask savvy pc users what to look for.

I really don't get all the Win8 hatred. IT admin wise, it makes refreshing / restoring a PC *hella* easy, and the fact that I can put my full Win8 pc on a usb stick and have it work on any machine, even automatically installing drivers, is brilliant.

It will likely be the most shipped OS next year, but it won't even come close to matching Windows 7 for user totals, hell it will probably take years to catch up to Windows XP. And I would bet that most Google programs run fine on Windows 8 anyways being browser based and all.

Lexx:I really don't get all the Win8 hatred. IT admin wise, it makes refreshing / restoring a PC *hella* easy, and the fact that I can put my full Win8 pc on a usb stick and have it work on any machine, even automatically installing drivers, is brilliant.

Users don't need a start button or menu.

It's overblown crap like most peoples' frothing hatred of anything in technology is.

It's not that they *need* it, it's that getting used to an OS that works significantly differently to the previous edition of that OS is a completely pointless hassle. It's like if the next version of Linux required you to use a Dvorak keyboard - sure, you can get used to it and it might even be slightly better once you do, but who wants to deal with that shiat?

"If you're eager to load up a Windows Phone or Windows 8 PC with dedicated Gmail or Google Drive apps, it's time you ease up on the anticipation, as Mountain View isn't bent on bringing apps to the platforms thanks to a lack of interest."

If you're eager to do anything with Win8, you need a swift kick to the head... It's initials even tell you so: W8 for a better OS!

Popcorn Johnny:Hey look, another thread where people who don't have Windows 8 biatch about Windows 8.

I just bought an ultrabook with Windows 8 on it last night.

A touch screen makes the paradigm actually make sense - I couldn't imagine only using Windows 8 with a mouse/keyboard. (Weirdly, people's proclamations that people don't want laptops with touchscreens makes me think that they've never tried it. I might not want a desktop with a touchscreen, but a 13" laptop - its actually awesome)

The odd thing though is that there are a lot of legacy parts to Windows 8 that make me feel like the OS is only half finished.

For example: the display options (and for that matter 80% of the control panel) are all located in the traditional windows control panel. The remaining 20% options are in a nice touch-friendly settings application that I can access through the Metro interface. It confuses me as to why they didn't go the extra mile to just convert everything.

Also, I'm having to re-learn a lot of basic commands. Closing windows, accessing the program settings, and accessing the system settings are a few examples of this. Gestures are another. I only figured out how to close a program from watching some guy give an ultrabook review on Youtube.

The bugs are also somewhat of a pain. Some of it is hardware driver related, the others are windows based. Why, when in portrait mode, can't I bring up the keyboard to log in if the damn thing is locked? It comes up and get dismissed in the same instant.

But still, I have to say, when I was using it for the first time last night, my first thought was "Apple better get their act together, people are coming to eat their cake."

I'll be able to better speak about it in a few months when I put this thing through its paces.

Kuroshin:TheBeastOfYuccaFlats: Likewise, I don't understand why they would need to make specific apps for Windows 8...

No joke. All Google services are accessible via webpages on desktop machines. Platform-specific apps would be pretty redundant.

^Partially this

But also, Google's business is to push users towards web services where they can either sell advertising or sell aggregated data on user behavior. The only reason for them to make apps for smartphone OS is that for the most part, smartphone OS' restrict accessing the juicy bits of data that Google wants to get their hands on - and have to use native APIs to get at them through the OS' security layer (location data, usage data, hardware data, browsing habits, cross referencing habits, etc).

Making a OS-dependent application in order to access data that they can already get to doesn't make sense.

I have it on my PC and it's not a damn bit different than Windows 7 unless I use the tiled start page. I still sometimes forget I even have it until my mouse wanders and I pull up the bar on the right side of the screen.

ghare:Windows 8 is better than 7, but all you fanbois who haven't tried it know better. I've heard it before. Know what you sound like? Old. OLD.

Windows 8 is no Vista that's for sure. Vista had a buggy, rotten foundation at the start, however the GUI was what the end-user expected.

Windows 8 has the solid foundation of Windows 7, with some minor performance tweaks. Unfortunately that foundation is grafted on a partially re-written GUI that works OK if you've got a touchscreen/keyboard/mouse and can handle switching between two different desktop metaphors. It's the Pontiac Aztek of OS's.

BullBearMS:Reality: When you stop pretending touch devices aren't computers, all versions of Windows combined only have a 20% marketshare.

[dl.dropbox.com image 850x520]

Why not add video game consoles in there too? Throw in smart TVs while you're at it. How about network gear? How are we arbitrarily defining "computer" this time around? Any digital device that performs math? Any consumer electronics device with a UI? Anything that can run a web-browser?

I'm not sure why you would need a Windows 8 app for Gmail anyway. The native mail client on Windows 8 supports Gmail, and that way you get the benefits of live tiles. I'd have to double check, but I believe the native Windows 8 Calendar and People apps also integrates with the Google calendar and contacts.

If you prefer to install Outlook 2010 or the 2013 beta, then you can integrate Gmail through POP or IMPAP. Of course that doesn't give you live tile support, but that's an issue with office.

If you want Gmail by itself on the start screen, just pin a shortcut there. Granted that won't be a live tile, either, but it's a simple click.

So I'm not surprised there's no Gmail app for Windows 8. I don't recall one for Windows 7 so why start now?

ProfessorOhki:BullBearMS: Reality: When you stop pretending touch devices aren't computers, all versions of Windows combined only have a 20% marketshare.

[dl.dropbox.com image 850x520]

Why not add video game consoles in there too? Throw in smart TVs while you're at it. How about network gear? How are we arbitrarily defining "computer" this time around? Any digital device that performs math? Any consumer electronics device with a UI? Anything that can run a web-browser?

You don't have to add any of those to see that both Apple and Google both have a larger share of the market than Microsoft does.

BullBearMS:ProfessorOhki: BullBearMS: Reality: When you stop pretending touch devices aren't computers, all versions of Windows combined only have a 20% marketshare.

[dl.dropbox.com image 850x520]

Why not add video game consoles in there too? Throw in smart TVs while you're at it. How about network gear? How are we arbitrarily defining "computer" this time around? Any digital device that performs math? Any consumer electronics device with a UI? Anything that can run a web-browser?

You don't have to add any of those to see that both Apple and Google both have a larger share of the market than Microsoft does.

... right, adding those would have the opposite effect as MS has shipped millions 360s which run a MS OS where as adding such things would boost Apple and Google by exactly 0. Then again, I guess you'd have to start counting the Apple TV.

The point is if you arbitrarily draw the line of "what is computer" you get different answers. It works the other way too. Apple and Google compete over the "mobile" market with MS in distant 3rd. Would it be reasonable to say, "well, laptops are portable, so actually MS has much larger market share than those other guy's numbers say."

So I'm asking you, the guy saying that we need to stop "pretending tablets and phones aren't computers" to define exactly what makes a computer so we can all judge exactly how much you want to skew numbers.

ProfessorOhki:So I'm asking you, the guy saying that we need to stop "pretending tablets and phones aren't computers" to define exactly what makes a computer so we can all judge exactly how much you want to skew numbers.

How about any device that is commonly used to run a word processor, spreadsheet, and/or database? Those are very traditional computer based tasks.

Everything Google's done that's been awesome or good (Gmail, Google search, Google docs, Google maps) and everything they've done that's OK (gchat, google video, a bunch of other crap that's now bundled into google+) function almost entirely through a web browser. In fact, the whole point of most of them is to be non-platform-specific.

Beyond porting Chrome to Windows 8, what 'apps' are we expecting them to develop for it? Desktop search maybe? We realize that integrated Windows search has been better than desktop search for years, right?

downstairs:The tiled interface I have zero use for, but I guess you can turn that off.

Nope...everytime you boot the machine its there....no turning TIFKAM off, otherwise how would MS batter you into submission with it....

...its like the tech equivalent of your 4 year old child tugging at your trousers and constantly asking for a furby this christmas..you know its going to be a farking nightmare but you will probably eventually give in